Shia paramilitaries were deployed to Iraq's western province of Anbar on Monday after ISIL fighters overran the provincial capital Ramadi in the biggest defeat for the Baghdad government since last summer.
Iraqi authorities called on the Shia-led militias to lead a
counteroffensive against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
after days of vicious fighting left hundreds dead and thousands
displaced. At least 3,000 fighters arrived near Ramadi on Monday and
entered a military base at the provincial capital. Their presence was
accompanied by an increase in US-led air strikes on ISIL positions.
But the decision to call on Shia fighters to assist in the pushback
has prompted fears that their involvement may alienate many in the
mainly Sunni province. Following the recapture of Tikrit from ISIL
earlier this year, Shia militias were accused of a range of human rights abuses.
Tarik al-Abdullah, secretary-general of the Al Anbar council, a group
of provincial tribal leaders, told Al Jazeera on Monday that the Shia
militias are “not very welcome.”
Abudullah said the government should be supplying weapons and
training to volunteer fighters in the province, instead of using
militias.
“We need the support of the government. We have a big number of
volunteers waiting to participate to liberate our province from [ISIL],”
he said.
Source: Aljazeera
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